Footbridge of the Future design winner declared

Network Rail and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) have announced the winner of a design competition for the possible railway footbridge of the future.

As announced by Rail Engineer on 13 August 2018, Network Rail and RIBA Competitions set the challenge to design fully accessible footbridges that could be used across Britain’s rail network. The competition was looking for ideas that were innovative, challenged presumptions and raised expectations for the quality of future design.

In all, over 120 entries were received from 19 countries. The evaluation panel was very impressed by the high quality of the submitted entries, the breadth of the approaches and interesting ideas developed in response to the challenge.

Although the competition was open to amateurs and professionals alike, it was the pros that won the day. Danish architectural practice Gottlieb Paludan Architects, working with Czech engineering and bridge specialist Strasky, Husty and Partners, put forward a bridge which most convincingly addressed the wide range of practical challenges whilst proposing a bold, elegant and uncluttered response that would create an uplifting experience to suit many contexts.

Due to the high quality of the entry, the judges also decided to highly commended the entry by Hawkins\Brown with WSP. They commented that this design presented a strong strategic approach, proposing a modular ‘kit of parts’ that would enable a standardised bridge system to be adapted via the use of simple pre-fabricated, clip-on modular elements to different contexts and settings, with the footbridge being conceived as a social engine focussed on people and place.

The entry by Hawkins\Brown with WSP was Highly Commended for its modular design and its focus on people and place.

Anthony Dewar, head of buildings and architecture at Network Rail, said: “Footbridges can have a significant positive impact on their local environment and offer wider social and economic benefits.

“As part of Network Rail’s commitment to make the railway more inclusive and fit for today’s needs through good design, the competition winner will be added to our new catalogue of improved station footbridge designs, and we are in discussions to agree how this idea can be fully realised.

“We have been overwhelmed by the response to this competition and would sincerely like to thank all the organisations, design professionals and students who entered.”

An exhibition of a selection of the entries submitted to the competition including the winning and highly commended designs will be held at the RIBA in February 2019.

Nigel Wordsworth graduated with an honours degree in Mechanical Engineering from Nottingham University, after which he joined the American aerospace and industrial fastener group SPS Technologies. After a short time at the research laboratories in Pennsylvania, USA, Nigel became responsible for applications engineering to industry in the UK and Western Europe. At this time he advised on various engineering projects, from Formula 1 to machine tools, including a particularly problematic area of bogie design for the HST.

A move to the power generation and offshore oil supply sector followed as Nigel became director of Entwistle-Sandiacre, a subsidiary of the Australian-owned group Aurora plc. At the same time, Nigel spent ten years as a Technical Commissioner with the RAC Motor Sports Association, responsible for drafting and enforcing technical regulations for national and international motor racing series.

Joining Rail Engineer in 2008, Nigel’s first assignment was a report on new three-dimensional mobile mapping and surveying equipment, swiftly followed by a look at vegetation control machinery. He continues to write on a variety of topics for most issues.